Improvement in furnaces for burning superheated steam



D. RENSHAW Furnaces for Burning superheated Steam. No.149,063,PatentedMarch 3h1874.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID RENSHAW, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORTO LYDIE IRENSHAW, ()F HINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FURNACES FOR BURNING SUPERHEATED STEAM.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,063, dated March31, 1874; application filed May 13, 1873.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, DAVID RENSHAW ofPhiladelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces forBurning Superheated Steam; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it,reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form part of thisspecification.

1n the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectionof my apparatus for burning superheated steam. Figs. 2 and 3 are detailviews.

The object of my invention is to provide a furnace for burningsuperheated steam and carbons, hydrogen, oil, 850., and other fuelsgiving off intense heats, having an injurious effect on boilers or othervessels with which their flame is brought in direct contact. The natureof my invention consists in the provision of an arch or diaphragm to beinterposed between the flame of thefuel and the boiler or other vesselto be heated, said. arch to be made of material having good conductingpowers, and at the same time being but slightly or not at all subject toinjury from heat or flame, so as to conduct a large portion of the heatand impart it by radiation to the boiler or other vessel from which thefire-chamber is completely isolated.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, A represents a reverberatoryfurnace, and B a boiler, placed above the arch or diaphragm C, which ismade of plumbago fire-brick, crucible clay, or equivalent material,possessing great conducting power, with but slight liability to injuryfrom the flames of the fuels designed to be employed. D shows a pipe forconveying the fuel to the fire-chamber located beneath the arch. d d areair-holes to admit a supply of oxygen to support combustion, and d is adoor for obtaining access to the fire-chamber. The front of the furnace,as high as the arch, is made of the same materials as is said arch,while the floor is formed of fire-brick or other material having poorconducting power, so as to retain and give the heat to the upper part ofthe arch. E is the flue or chimney, starting from the base of thefurnace, and provided with a damper at the top and an outlet-pipe, c, atthe bottom.

The operation is as follows: A fire is first started in the furnacebeneath the arch, and kept going until a heat of 7 00 and upward isobtained. The door of the furnace is then securely closed, and the gasor other fuel ad mitted through the pipe I), when ignition of such fueltakes place. The heat therefrom is in great measure conducted throughand radiated by the arch above, without permitting the contact of theflames with the boiler B.

The chimney E should be formed of firebrick, and be provided with adamper at the top, while that part of it below the entrance for gasesfrom the furnace may be lined with iron to form a reservoir, so thatshould the gases be condensed and water formed before escaping from thetop of the chimney, such water will fall to the bottom of the flue, andbe carried off by the pipe 0 to a suitable receptacle.

By this construction, it will be observed that the fire-chamber iscompletely isolated from the boiler or other vessel to be heated, withwhich vessel no part of the flames from said fire-chamber comes incontact, a very large proportion of the heat, however, being conductedthrough the arch and radiated therefrom.

What I claim as my invention is In a furnace for burning gases andsimilar fuels, an imperforate arch or diaphragm of plumbago clay,interposed between the firechamber and boiler or other vessel to beheated, completely isolating the former from the latter, so as toprevent the flames from coming in contact with said boiler or vessel.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand.

DAVID RENSHAW.

Witnesses:

GEO. O. SHELMERDIN T. A. CoNNoLLY.

